This manor was undoubtedly the first mansion of the powerful Longobard family that later become known as the Malaspinas. They occupied the Staffora Valley and chose Oramala as the capital of the territory which was to become one of the most powerful marquisates in Northern Italy. The castle later became an estate of the Este Family who were deprived of it by Pope Adrian IV in 1157. it then became a Papal fief held by the Bishop of Tortona and then, in 1164, it was eventually given to Obizzo Malaspina by Emperor Frederick I Barabarossa as a tribute for his military services, together with the whole territory from the Po Plain to High Tuscany and including the Oramala Castle and Stronghold. The 2.4 mt thick castle walls and its semi-circular shape heading towards the nearby hill where the artillery could be placed are a clear evidence that both the tower and part of the castle were built and strengthened according to the standards of medieval military architecture. the massive stronghold was owned by the Malaspinas until the late XVIIIth century and was then abandoned to eventually become almost completely run-down. In 1985 the Panigazzi brothers, present owners of the place, started the reconstruction of the collapsed parts, and are still working on them, in order to recover and preserve an architectural masterpiece that for 900 years had made and lived the history of our valleys.